Golf teeing machine



June 14, 1932. v LV 1,863,140

GOLF TEEING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i i 20* i i 1 LEWIS J. MULVANEY June 14, 1932. 1.. J. MULVANEY GOLF TEEING MACHINE Filed May 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

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Y E m w U M I B W E L Patented June 14, 1932 PATENT OFFICE LEWIS J. MULVANEY, 01 NEW YORK, N. Y.

GOLF TEEING MACHINE Application filed May 16,

This invention relates to a golf teeing machine and more particularly to a machine for use by golf instructors, on golf driving ranges and in similar instances where it is desired to tee up a lar e number of balls in succession.

The average golf instructor at times may be engaged in giving instructions in driving for several consecutive hours, requiring the repeated stooping to insert the usual wooden or composition tee into the ground and placing the golf ball thereon. This repeated operation not only consumes the time of the pupil but produces great physical fatigue of the instructor. The operation becomes so onerous that many golf professionals employ a caddie for the sole purpose of teeing up the balls during a lesson.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device for teeing up a ball,

which. may be quickly and readily manipulated without appreciable physical exertion and without stooping or bending.

Another object is to provide a golf teeing machine which is simple, light, and portable and which will enable a large number of balls to be teed in rapid succession and in different locations.

Another object is to enable the ball to be teed or supported independently of fixed parts of the machine.

A further object is to provide a machine capable, by a simple manipulation, of inserting a tee of wood or other material, into the ground and placing a ball thereon.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In accordance with my invention I support a plurality of golf balls in a vertical tube or magazine and number of tees in a parallel tube, the tees being fed by gravity into a pair of jaws which are arranged to be moved under a ball which is then forced down onto the tee and the tee forced into the ground. The

entire machine may then be'removed from the vicinity of the teed ball.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section,

1931, Serial No. 537,813.

of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tee gripping jaws;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 1% of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the lower portion of the machine with the parts in position of com pleting the teeing operation; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the cover members of the tee magazine.

Referring to Figure 1, I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, as comprising a base 10, the forward part 11 of which is hollowed or arched on the under side, at the forward end thereof, the base at the rear side forming a housing 12 for a pair of tee gripping jaws 13 and 14.

The upper side of the base 10 has an elliptical well 15, the rear portion of which opens into the lower arched portion 11 of the base through an aperture 16. on the well 15, is a casting 17 having two barrole or tubular openings 18 and 19.

A vertical ball magazine or tube 20, of a length sufiicient to extend upwardly into a convenient position to be grasped by the operator without appreciable bending or stooping, is recessed into the tube 18 and forms a continuation thereof. A number of golf balls 21 are stored in the tubes 18 and 20, the lowermost ball resting on a pair of spring arms 22 of J-shape secured to a block 23 in the well 14 and having their free ends extending over the recess 16. A plunger 24 having a hemispherical recess 25 in the lower end, is contained in the tubular portion 19.

A vertical tee magazine 26 extends parallel to the ball magazine 20 and is mounted for reciprocating and rotating mot-ion in brackets 27 and 28 carried by the tube 20. The lower end of the tube 26 terminates directly above the jaws 13, 14. A number of tees 29, of wood or composition may be stored in the tube 26. The tees are fed downwardly by gravity, the lowermost tee resting between the jaws 13 and 14.

The jaws 13 and 14 are pivotally mounted Suitably supported at 30 and 31 respectively, in a frame 32, which is adapted to slide horizontally in a trackway 33 formed in the sides 34 of the base 10.

The jaws 13 and 14 are urged together by a pair of leaf springs 35 but are held apart by the Wedge shaped lower end 36 of the tube 26 engaging between the pivoted jaw mem bers.

A cross member 37 extends across the frame 32 and has a rectangular slot 38 in which a roller or pin 39 carried by a crankarm40, is received. The crank arm, when it is rotated clockwise in Figure 2, forces the frame 32 forward so as to position the jaws directly beneath the lowermost ball and in axial alignment with the plunger 24.

The crank arm 40 forms an offset portion of a sleeve 41 encircling the lower end of the tube 26.

A plate 42 is secured to the base 10 and covers the frame 32 and crank 40. It is provided with an arcuate upstanding lip 43 partially encircling the sleeve 41. A-U-shaped clip 44 is pivoted to a lug 45, integral with the-sleeve 41, and the free ends of the clip pass through narrow apertures 46 in the tube 26. With the tee magazine in its lowered position, as shown in Figure 1, the ends of the clip do not project into the magazine sufficiently to interferewith the free passage of the tees therethrough.

The sleeve 41 is cut away at 47 and the tube 26 is provided with lugs 48, 49, on op posite sides, which permit the tube to slide vertically relative to the sleeve-41, but cause the tube and sleeve to rotate together.

The'plunger 24 is normally held elevated by a spring 51 coiled about the stem 52 of the plunger and compressed between the top'wall 53 of the casting 17 and a cross piece 54 extending between the ball magazine 20 and the tee magazine 26. The cross piece 54 is secured to a short sleeve 55 encircling the tee tube 26. The sleeve 55 bears in a bracket 56 mounted on the ball magazine 20 and has re ciprocating motion therein. A handle 57 is carried by a bracket 58-having ofisetp'or tions 59 and 66 bearing on thetub'e' 26, The lower offset 60 rests upon thetop of the sleeve 55 and serves to slide the same downwardly on the tube 26 to depress the plunger 24 when the handle is forced downwardly. A collar 61 has a portion 62 engaging the bracket 58' so as to rotate thetube' 26 when the handle 57 is rotated.

The operation of the teeing device is as follows: starting with the parts in normal position as shown in Figure 1, with the between the jaws, releasing the jaws to grip the lowermost tee. The lower end of the tube must be raised sufficiently to clear the head of the tee now contained within the jaws. This upward movement of the tube, through engagement of the lower wall of the recess 46 in the tube, pivots the clip 44 upwardly, causing the free ends to move into the tube and engage beneath the head of the second tee from the bottom, elevating the entire column fte lvith the tube 26 elevated, the handle 57 is turned through a quarter of a revolution, rotating with it the tube 26. The tube 26 in turn rotates the sleeve 41 and crank arm 40, forcing the aws 13, 14, inwardly beneath the plunger 24. At this time a lug 64 on the tube 26 rests upon the arcuate lip 43 of plate 42 and holds the tube elevated,

The handle 57 is next forced downwardly, depressing the sleeve 55 and plunger 24, which engages the lowermost ball, forcing it through the resilient arm 22 and onto the top of the tee. Continued depression of the plunger drives the tee into the ground, as shown in Figure 5.

With the handle held depressed to rigidly maintain the ball and tee in place, the handle is rotated to withdraw the jaws from the tee and then released for upward movement by the spring 51, again elevating the plunger. The tube 26 then drops into lowered position, opening thejaws 13 and 14 and feeding another tee therein.

The device is then drawn backward away from the teed ball.

If it is desired to feed out the balls without teeing, as for iron shots, the handle 57 is merely depressed without turning, the plunger 24 forcing the balls through the fingers 22 and causing them to drop onto the ground- The ball magazine 20' is provided with a removable cover 66 permitting additional balls to be inserted, and the cap 63 of the tee magazinehas an opening 67 in the top through which the tees may be fed. In order to prevent a tee from being inadvertently or intentionally inserted into the tube 26, head foremost, a pair of spring fingers 68 (Figure 6) extend across the opening 67 and block the entrance of the tube except when forced apart by the tapering lower surface of the head, as will be obvious.

It is understood, of'course, that the invention 'may take various other forms and many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and therefore, I desire the'foregoing description to be taken as merely explaining a preferred embodiment of the invention and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is: I p

1. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, means for ejecting a tee from said magazine and means for positioning a'ball thereon.

2. A golf teeing device comprising a ball l receptacle, a tee receptacle, means for selecting a tee from said latter receptacle and aligning it with a ball, and means for positioning said ball on the tee and forcing the tee into the ground.

3. A golf teeing device comprising a pair of tee supporting jaws, a ball support, means for feeding a tee into said jaws, means for positioning said tee beneath said ball support, and means for lowering said ball into contact with said tee.

4. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, means for segregating a tee from said tee magazine and a ball from said ball magazine and positioning said ball upon said tee.

5. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, a pair of jaws normally disposed beneath said tee magazine to receive a tee therefrom, means for diverting a ball from said ball magazine, means for advancing said jaws to position a tee beneath said ball and means for inserting said tee into the ground and seating said ball thereon.

6. A golf teeing device comprising a ball receptacle, a tee receptacle, a pair of jaws, means for inserting a tee into said jaws, and means for forcing said tee into the ground and positioning a ball thereon.

7. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, a pair of jaws, means for positioning a tee in said jaws, a plunger, means for vertically aligning said jaws and a ball with said plunger, and means for lowering said plunger into contact with said ball to seat the ball upon the tee and to drive the tee into the ground.

8. A golf teeing device comprising a ball receptacle, a tee receptacle, a pair of jaws disposed beneath the tee receptacle, means normally holding said jaws apart to receive a tee from said tee receptacle, means for closing said jaws upon said tee, means for advancing said aws and tee, means for seating a ball on said tee and means for withdrawing said jaws from said tee.

9. A golf teeing device comprising a tubular tee magazine, a pair of jaws disposed beneath said magazine, means on said tubular magazine for holding said jaws apart whereby a tee will be positioned therein by gravity, means to elevate said magazine and release said jaws to grip the tee, means for rotating said magazine to advance the jaws and tee from beneath the same, and means for inserting said tee into the ground and seating a ball thereon.

10. A golf teeing device comprising a ball receptacle, a tubular tee magazine, a pair of jaws beneath said magazine, means for feeding tees from said magazine into said aws by gravity, means for moving said aws and contained tee from beneath said magazine and seating a ball thereon, and means for holding tees in said magazine while said jaws are being so moved.

11. In a device of the class described, a ball magazine, a resilient ball holder at the base of said magazine, adapted to receive one ball at a time, a plunger, and means for depressing the plunger to force said ball past said resIlient holder.

12. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, a pair of jaws disposed beneath said tee magazine, means for positioning a tee in said jaws, a crank arm associated with said jaws, means to rotate said crank arm to advance said jaws from beneath said tee magazine, and means for seating a ball on said tee and forcing the tee into the ground.

13. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, and means for feeding said tees and balls in superposed position from said device.

14. A golf teeing device comprising a ball magazine, a tee magazine, means for inserting tees into said tee magazine in an upright position only, and means for feeding said tees and balls from said device in a superposed position.

15. A golf teeing device comprising a tubular ball magazine, a tubular tee magazine parallel thereto, means for feeding tees, one at a time, to one side of said tee magazine, means for feeding balls, one at a time, from said ball magazine into vertical alignment with said tees, and means for seating said balls on said tees as they are fed from their respective magazines and driving the tees into the ground.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6 day of May, 1931.

LEWIS J. MULVANEY. 

